The 1857 attack that drove the last Sioux from Iowa soil

The Spirit Lake Massacre

Inkpaduta earned his exile from Sioux society through years of violence and defiance. By early 1857, his small band of Wahpekute followers was starving near Iowa’s northern lakes.

Desperate and angry, they struck Spirit Lake settlements on March 8th with devastating effect. The raiders moved from cabin to cabin, killing about 40 settlers and capturing four women. Bodies lay scattered across the snowy frontier.

This attack became Iowa’s last Native American assault on settlers and triggered harsh government retaliation against all remaining Sioux.

Here’s how the massacre unfolded, preserved today at sites you can explore.

Inkpaduta’s Background

Inkpaduta was born around 1797. Smallpox badly scarred his face and killed many of his people. By the time of the attack, he was about 60 years old. His name meant “Scarlet Point” or “Red Cap” in the Dakota language.

Other Sioux feared him because he was violent. He led a small group that broke away from the main tribe and did not follow treaties that other Sioux leaders had signed.

Grievances That Sparked the Attack

In 1854, a whiskey trader named Henry Lott killed Inkpaduta’s brother Sintomniduta along with his wife and five children.

The local attorney, Granville Berkley, put Sintomniduta’s head on a pole outside his house as an insult. Inkpaduta asked the army to punish Lott. Officials charged Lott with murder, but he ran away and was never caught.

This unfair treatment made Inkpaduta hate white settlers even more.

The Harsh Winter Before the Attack

The winter of 1856-1857 brought heavy snow and extreme cold. Both settlers and Native Americans faced starvation as food became scarce. Inkpaduta’s band went to settlements asking for food.

Settlers, who were also struggling to survive, often turned them away. After Inkpaduta’s warriors killed a settler’s dog that had bitten one of them, armed settlers took away their weapons.

Hungry and angry, the warriors got new weapons and moved toward the lakes where new settlers lived.

The Gardner Family’s Arrival

Rowland Gardner brought his family to West Okoboji Lake in July 1856. They built a log cabin in this remote area.

Nine people lived in the small cabin: Rowland and Frances Gardner with their children Eliza, Abigail (13), and Roland Jr. (6), plus their daughter Mary with her husband Harvey Luce and their children Albert (4) and Amanda (1).

Far from other settlements, the Gardners thought they could live peacefully near Native Americans. Only five other families lived around the lakes.

The First Day of the Attack

Inkpaduta’s band came to the lakes on March 7, 1857. That night, they held a war dance near the Gardner cabin. The family heard war cries but weren’t worried. Iowa Indians had rarely harmed settlers before.

On March 8 morning, Inkpaduta and fourteen warriors entered the Gardner cabin during breakfast. Frances Gardner gave them what little food they had. Two young men left to warn neighbors but were killed before they could spread the alarm.

The Gardner Family Massacre

On the evening of March 8, the warriors came back to the Gardner cabin and demanded all their flour. When Rowland Gardner turned to get the flour, a warrior shot him in the back, killing him instantly.

The warriors then killed everyone in the family except 13-year-old Abigail Gardner, who they took captive. That night, Abbie watched as the warriors danced around a fire with her family’s scalps on long poles.

Attacks on Other Settlers

Over the next four days, Inkpaduta’s band attacked other cabins around the lakes. They killed all the men they found and took three married women captive. The Noble and Thatcher families lived on East Okoboji Lake.

The warriors killed the men and a child, taking Lydia Noble and Elizabeth Thatcher captive. On March 13, they found the Marbles’ home. After sharing food, the warriors tricked William Marble into a shooting contest, shot him in the back, and stole his money belt.

The Four Female Captives

Four women survived the attacks: Abbie Gardner (13), Lydia Noble (20), Elizabeth Thatcher (19), and Margaret Marble (17). The warriors forced them to walk north. The women had to wear Dakota clothing and work hard.

They chopped wood, put up tents, cooked, and carried heavy packs. Each day took them farther from rescue as they moved toward Minnesota. The captives suffered from cold and hunger while walking through deep snow.

The Fate of the Captives

Elizabeth Thatcher got sick during the journey. When she couldn’t keep up, warriors threw her into the icy Big Sioux River and shot her as she tried to swim to shore. Later, Inkpaduta’s son killed Lydia Noble for not following orders.

Indian agents sent two friendly Native Americans who bought Margaret Marble and brought her back to white authorities. Margaret later moved to California, married, and lived until 1911.

Abbie Gardner’s Rescue

On May 30, 1857, three Wahpeton Dakota men came to Inkpaduta’s camp. For three days, they bargained for Abbie Gardner’s release. The ransom included two horses, twelve blankets, two powder kegs, twenty pounds of tobacco, and yards of cloth.

This was worth a lot on the frontier. Her rescuers took Abbie to Fort Ridgely and then by boat to St. Paul. One chief gave her a special war cap for her bravery. On June 23, 1857, after three months as a captive, Abbie reached safety.

Visiting Abbie Gardner Sharp Cabin, Iowa

You’ll find the Abbie Gardner Sharp Cabin at 74 Monument Drive in Arnolds Park, Iowa. The site includes the original log cabin, a small museum, and a 55-foot granite monument erected in 1895 honoring massacre victims.

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